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Nazgl
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Nazgul
A Nazgl
"They are the Nazgul, Ringwraiths, neither living or dead. At all times they feel
the presence of the ring...drawn to the power of the one..they will never stop
hunting you."
-Aragorn explaining the nazgl to Frodo, Pippin, Merry and Sam[1]
The Nazgl (also known as Ringwraiths, The Nine, The Fallen Kings, Black Riders,
Nunbolg, or Ulairi in Quenya) were the dreaded ring-servants of the Dark Lord
Sauron in Middle-earth throughout the Second and Third ages, and in the later years
of the Third Age, they dwelt in Minas Morgul and Dol Guldur.[2]
Contents[show]
HistoryEdit
Nine Kings of Men
The Nine Kings with their Rings of Power
"They were once men, great kings of men. Then Sauron the deceiver gave to them Nine
Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed they took them without question, one by one
falling into darkness and now they are slaves to his will."
-Aragorn recounting the origin of the nazgl
The Nazgl were once nine great powerful Men, all of whom were given Rings of Power
by Sauron. Sauron meant to, and succeeded in his goal of corrupting the powerful
Nine. The Nine took them and used them to achieve great power, wealth, and prestige
in life. But as time passed, the Rings continued to exert their corrupting
influence. The Rings eventually left the kings spectral, invisible to all but those
who could see into the wraith world, and slaves to the will of Sauron. Their lives
and power became bound to Sauron's via the One Ring; as Sauron grew or diminished
in power, so too did the Nazgl.
Only five of the Nine were ever named; the Witch-king of Angmar. Khaml the
Easterling and, although not confirmed as canon, Isildur, Helm Hammerhand and
Talion appear as Nazgul in the "Shadow of War" video game.

The Nine were first seen around 2251 of the Second Age, and soon became established
as Sauron's primary servants. Despite being Sauron's most useful servants, not much
is known of their activities during the Second Age. They were temporarily dispersed
after Sauron's downfall in SA 3434 during the war of Last Alliance of Elves and
Men, losing the ability to maintain any sort of physical form as Sauron did after
losing the One Ring. However, the Ring was not destroyed, and as such, both the
Nazgl and Sauron were able to endure.

Return of the NazglEdit

The Nazgl re-emerged around 1301 of the Third Age as Sauron at long last began to
take shape after his defeat at the hands of the Last Alliance. It was around this
time that the Witch-king established himself in Angmar and began to launch attacks
against the nearby kingdom of Arnor, which had fractured into three smaller
kingdoms due to infighting. His first target was the realm of Rhudaur. After
conquering Rhudaur and replacing the Dnedain king with one of the native Hillmen
in the year TA 1356 the Witch-king moved against Arthedain, resulting in the death
of King Argeleb I.
But Arthedain was not yet defeated, and it managed to maintain a line of defense
along the Weather Hills. In TA 1409 came the attack on Cardolan. Also during this
time, the forces of the Witch-king burned and destroyed the watchtower of Amon Sl.
After the fall of Cardolan, Angmar's advance was slowed by resistance from the
elves of Lindon and Rivendell. By TA 1974, Angmar arose again and captured
Arthedain's capital of Fornost, and with that the last kingdom of Arnor was
destroyed.

A year later, a prince of Gondor named Ernur arrived with the intention of aiding
Arthedain.

The Nazgul Witch-King

The Nazgl Witch-king with his helm
However, Ernur arrived too late to be of help in defending any of Arnor's
territories. Instead, he and his army sought revenge against the Witch-king. He and
his forces marched against the armies of the Witch-king and utterly destroyed them
during the Battle of Fornost. With the destruction of his forces, the Witch-king
escaped and retreated to Mordor. Despite the complete annihilation of Angmar, the
campaign was accounted a tremendous success by Sauron, for the territories formerly
occupied by Arnor became essentially wilderness, with the Dnedain Rangers being
all that stood between its people and complete lawlessness. At some point, the
Barrow-wights left Angmar and Rhudaur to occupy the Barrow-downs of Cardolan.[2]
Upon his return to Mordor, the Witch-king gathered the other eight Nazgl. In the
year TA 2000 the Nazgl attacked, and after two years conquered Minas Ithil (which
was renamed Minas Morgul), acquiring a Palantr for the Dark Lord.
It was from Minas Morgul that the Nine directed the rebuilding of Sauron's armies
and the preparation of Mordor for their master's return. In 2942 Sauron returned to
Mordor, openly declaring himself by TA 2951. He sent three of the Nazgl to
garrison his fortress Dol Guldur in Mirkwood. They were led by Khaml, the second
most powerful of the Nazgl behind the Witch-King.

Hunt for the RingEdit

Shire and BreeEdit
The Nine leaving Minas Morgul
The Nine leaving Minas Morgul
Near the beginning of the War of the Ring in TA 3018, Gollum, a Stoor who had once
owned the One Ring, was captured and tortured in Mordor. From him, Sauron learned
of the location of the One, and the family identity of those who had kept it.
Having learned this, Sauron released Gollum, but Gollum was soon recaptured by
Aragorn, captain of the Rangers of the North. Learning of this, Gandalf the Grey
went immediately to interrogate the creature and discovered that Sauron now knew
where the Ring was and who had it; the hobbit Frodo Baggins. Accordingly, Gandalf
advised Frodo to leave the Shire and make for Rivendell, taking the Ring with him.
However, Sauron wasted no time in attempting to capture the Ring, sending all of
the Nine to retrieve it.
Soon the Nazgl entered the Shire, where they learned the Ring was in possession of
Bilbo Baggins' nephew, Frodo Baggins.[citation needed] Subsequently, after
searching for Frodo, one of the Nine, Khaml the Easterling, had his first
encounter with him.

As Frodo and his friends, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, took Bucklebury ferry to reach
Crickhollow, Khaml, who had narrowly missed them, was forced to go around to the
Brandywine Bridge instead. Shortly after this, the Nine arrived at Frodo's new home
in Crickhollow.

Though Frodo had already left for Bree by the time the Nine arrived, they were soon
given information regarding Frodo's whereabouts by Bill Ferny, a spy of Saruman.
Consequently, the Nazgl attacked the village of Bree, where Frodo was located.
However, during the time it took the Nazgl to reach Bree, Frodo and company
fortunately encountered Aragorn himself, who had been asked by Gandalf to watch for
the hobbits and aid them if he could.

WeathertopEdit
Five of the nine Wraiths
Five Nazgl confronting the four Hobbits at Weathertop
Unable to find the Hobbit, the Nine left Bree, and at Weathertop several days later
they encountered Gandalf the Grey, who was scouting nearby on his way to Rivendell
to meet up with Frodo. An all-night battle commenced at Weathertop between the
Nazgl and Gandalf. Though Gandalf was able to escape, four of the Nine pursued
him, while five remained near Weathertop. Several days later, Aragorn, Frodo, Sam,
Pippin and Merry made camp at the base of the ruins of Amon Sl.
Discovering them, the five Nazgl attacked the group. As they confronted the four
Hobbits, Frodo put on the Ring and attempted to resist the Nazgl. The Nazgl
leader quickly stabbed Frodo with a Morgul-blade, but the Nazgl then fled because
Aragorn arrived carrying firebrands, and also perhaps (as Aragorn surmised) because
the Nazgl were unprepared for Frodo's show of resistance.[3]
The Ford of BruinenEdit
"Come back! Come back! To Mordor we will take you!"
The Fellowship of the Ring, "Flight to the Ford"
TheNineFord version 2
The Nine crossing the fords of Bruinen
Regrouping, the Nazgl continued to pursue Frodo. Eventually, they caught up with
him, then riding the horse of Glorfindel. Chasing Frodo until they reached the Ford
of Bruinen, the nine Nazgl, now reunited, demanded Frodo give them the Ring. Frodo
refused and defied them. Provoked, the Nazgl crossed the river to take the Ring by
force from a weak and injured Frodo. However, the water, enchanted by Elrond and
Gandalf, formed a great wave and swept the Nine away, killing their horses. Lacking
the means to successfully attack Rivendell, where Frodo and his companions took
refuge, the Nazgl were forced to retreat to Mordor on foot and stop their hunt for
the Ring.[4]
Battle of the Pelennor FieldsEdit
"Come not between the Nazgl and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He
will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy
flesh shall be devoured, and thy shriveled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye."
The Return of the King, the Witch King at "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"
Witch King confronting Gandalf
Gandalf confronted by the Witch-King
Returning to Mordor in complete failure, the Nazgl were forced to abandon their
hunt for the Ring. At this point, the Nine received new mounts to replace their
horses: Fell beasts. With his new mount, the Witch-king attacked the ruined city of
Osgiliath with an army of Orcs and secured it. After this, he made way for the
assault on Minas Tirith, leading Sauron's forces during the Battle of the Pelennor
Fields. During the battle, the Witch-king confronted Gandalf the White when
attempting to enter the city. However, before the Witch-king could engage Gandalf
in battle, the forces of Rohan arrived. The Witch-king immediately left Gandalf to
deal with the new threat against Mordor's forces.
The Witch-king attacked King Thoden on the battlefield. As Thoden was crushed by
his horse, the lord of the Nazgl prepared to finish him off. However, Thoden's
niece owyn and Meriadoc Brandybuck rode up on horseback, and she confronted the
Witch-king.

Witch King death

The Witch-King's death
Engaging the Witch-king in battle, owyn killed the Nazgl's fell beast. The Witch-
king, however, was unaffected by this and attacked owyn with his mace. After
breaking owyn's arm, he prepared to kill her, but Meriadoc stabbed him in the leg
from behind with his Barrow-blade, which was of Westernesse make. Injured, the
Witch-king screamed in pain and owyn stabbed her sword into his crown and body,
thus killing the lord of the Nazgl and fulfilling the prophecy of Glorfindel.
Battle of the Morannon and DefeatEdit
During Battle of the Morannon the remaining eight Nazgl, mounted on Fell beasts,
attacked the Army of the West. Eventually, however, the Nazgl were confronted by
the Eagles, led by Gwaihir.
Nazgul Mount Doom
The Nazgl caught in the firestorm and destroyed
Simultaneously, Frodo Baggins claimed the Ring for himself near the fires of Mount
Doom. Sauron immediately became aware of Frodo, as well as his folly. Enraged and
frantic, Sauron ordered the Nazgl to fly with all possible speed to Mount Doom and
seize the Ring.
However, the Nazgl failed; the Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom when
Gollum bit Frodo's finger and accidentally fell into the Cracks of Doom himself,
with the ring. Sauron was immediately defeated by the loss of the Ring, Mount Doom
underwent a gigantic volcanic eruption and all eight Nazgl were destroyed, their
form and power dissipating forever.

Weapons and AbilitiesEdit

"Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!"
The Return of the King, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"
Angmar witch king
The Witch-king
The Nazgl were sustained by the power of Sauron. The Witch-king in particular was
difficult to slay, for any weapon that struck him would be destroyed. The Nazgl's
own weapons included long swords of steel and daggers. Their leader possessed a
powerful black mace as well. Their arsenal of deadly armaments was not confined to
physical means; they also had powerful voices, which brought terror into the hearts
of mortals and a general aura of dread. They wore hauberks of silver mail and had
enhanced senses of hearing and smell.
The Nine could not see during the day as mortals do; instead they see shadowy
forms. During the night they see many signs and forms invisible to mortal eyes; it
is at night that they are to be feared most. They can smell the blood of living
things that they desire and hate. Their presence can be felt as a troubling of the
heart, and they can more keenly feel the presence of others. At all times, they
sense the presence of the Ring and are drawn to it.

They were surrounded by an aura of terror, which affected all living creatures;
their aura (called the Black Breath) could be toxic to those hapless enough to come
near them. Of course, their horrible cries put many a battle-hardened warrior to
flight as well. Some of the Nazgl appear to have been accomplished sorcerers and
used magic to devastating effect. The fear the Nine inspired was one of their
greatest strengths. According to Gandalf, if Sauron regained the One, they would
become vastly more powerful. However, it is unclear as to how. However, as Sauron's
strength grew through the books, the Nazgl became obviously more powerful. In The
Fellowship of the Ring, the Nazgl's cries were simply unnerving to the hobbits,
and they appeared to be physically weak, as Aragorn managed to hold off five of the
Ringwraiths single-handedly on Weathertop. In The Return of the King however, their
cries are powerful enough to send all but the most stout-hearted of Gondor's
defenders into a state of helpless terror, and the Witch-king in particular has
become so powerful that he challenged Gandalf the White (which of the two is the
more powerful is not revealed).

WeaknessesEdit
Ringwraith set on fire
A Nazgl set on fire: one of its few weaknesses
Though the Ringwraiths were among the greatest of Sauron's servants, they also had
certain weaknesses that could be used against them. One of these was daylight
itself. With the exception of the Witch-King of Angmar, none of them (especially
Khaml) could operate as well under the Sun and generally feared it.
All the Ringwraiths but the Witch-King feared water, although it seems this
weakness was abandoned by Tolkien in the published version because it was an idea
difficult to sustain.[5]

At Weathertop, Aragorn used fire to
Witch-King feared fire; though it's
the other eight Nazgl. At the Ford
accompanied Frodo used it to assist
raging water.
drive the Ringwraiths away from Frodo. Even the
possible it had less of an effect on him over
of Bruinen, Aragorn and the hobbits that
Glorfindel and drive the Ringwraiths into the

If an enemy was strong enough so to resist their aura of dread, then the
Ringwraiths (with the exception of the Witch-King) had little real power over them
individually.

Heroes of Middle-earth such as Aragorn, Gandalf, and Glorfindel could single-

handedly face a Ringwraith and defeat or at least elude them, provided that they
were not confronted by multiple Ringwraiths or the Witch-King. However, only a few
could resist them all at the same time. But it has also been seen that legendary
heroes like Glorfindel can instill fear in the hearts of the Nazgl too.

MountsEdit
Witch King on fell beast
The Witch-king mounted on his Fell-beast
At the start of the War of the Ring, the nine Nazgl rode black horses descended
from horses stolen from Rohan, which they relied heavily on for transport. However,
after the encounter with Glorfindel at Ford of Bruinen, the Black Riders lost their
horses, which were killed in the flood.
Returning to Mordor by foot to regroup, the Nazgl received winged creatures from
Sauron in addition to new horses. With these fell beasts, the nine attacked the
ruined city of Osgiliath in order to clear the way for a siege on Minas Tirith.
Subsequently, the Nazgl used the fell beasts to their advantage at the Battle of
the Pelennor Fields and the Battle of the Morannon, but most of all in attempting
to seek and find the ringbearer, Frodo.

EtymologyEdit
The term Nazgl, which literally means "Ringwraith," comes from the Black Speech
words nazg ("ring") and gl ("wraith").[6]
The rarely used Quenya name for Nazgl is lairi;[7] from this, it can be
conjectured that the Sindarin term is Ulaer.[citation needed]

Other TitlesEdit
Fell Riders[8]
Black Wings[9]
Nine Riders[10][11][12]
Black Riders[13]
Shriekers[14]
Wraiths on wings (by Gollum)[15]
The Ringwraiths
Individual TitlesEdit
The Witch-king of Angmar is often referred to as Lord of the Nazgl and The Black
Captain.[16]
Khaml, second-in-command, is called the Black Easterling or the Shadow of the
East.
Portrayal in adaptationsEdit
Ralph Bakshi versionEdit
The Nazgl appear in Prancing Pony to slash the beds of the Hobbits. After this,
the Nazgl remove their hoods, revealing black masks and armor underneath.
Rankin and Bass versionEdit
The Rankin-Bass adaptation of The Return of the King also featured the Nine, but
with drastically altered appearances. With the exception of the Witch-king, all the
Ringwraiths appear as hideous, skeletal humanoids riding black horses with red eyes
and bat wings. They notably wear black cloaks and brown tunics that bear the red
eye insignia of Sauron, with black crowns atop their heads. The Witch-king shares
this outfit save that he initially appears hooded, and upon removing his hood a
crown and glowing red eyes are visible but no head. The Witch-king initially
appears riding a winged horse, but later rides in atop a Fell beast to attack the
body of Theoden before being slain by owyn.
The Lord of the Rings film trilogyEdit
Ringwraith(s)
The Ringwraiths
The Nazgl portrayed in the films are emphasized with their deafening shrieks,
provided by Peter Jackson's partner and co-screenwriter Fran Walsh. Andy Serkis
voices Khaml who briefly speaks in The Fellowship of the Ring.
Storywise, the Nine are largely unchanged from their novel roles, with the most
notable changes taking place in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and
centering on the Witch-king. Here he is only seen riding his Fell beast mount, and
never without his hood; he is also established in the film's extended edition as
being more powerful than Gandalf the White, shattering his staff during a brief
confrontation.

According to IMDB, the Nazgl were portrayed by the following actors: Victoria
Beynon-Cole, Lee Hartley, Sam La Hood, Chris Streeter, Phil Grieve, Jonathan
Jordan, Semi Kuresa, Clinton Ulyatt, Paul Bryson, Lance Fabian Kemp, Jono Manks and
Ben Price. Thomas McGinty and Kate O'Rourke are uncredited. It is unknown which one
of them portrayed which Nazgl.

The Hobbit film trilogyEdit

BOTFA - Nazgul in Dol Guldur
The Nazgl in Dol Guldur
The Witch-king of Angmar appears in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Dol
Guldur, where he briefly fights Radagast, dropping his Morgul-blade, which Radagast
shows to Gandalf and which Gandalf then shows to the White Council in Rivendell.
Galadriel and Elrond are alarmed by the dagger's appearance, knowing it was buried
with the Witch-King in his tomb, which they believed could not be opened.
In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Galadriel sends Gandalf to the Ringwraiths'
tombs in the High Fells, and find each of them has been broken open from the
inside. This is enough to convince Gandalf that the Necromancer of Dol Guldur is,
in fact, Sauron in disguise, as the Nine only answer to him.

Nazgul
A Nazgl
In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the nine Ringwraiths appear in
armored, ghostly versions of their mortal selves after Galadriel rescues Gandalf
from his cage in Dol Guldur. The Nine fight against Galadriel, Saruman and Elrond
and are seemingly banished by them. Radagast arrives to take Gandalf to safety. But
after a few moments, Sauron appears with the Nine hovering before him. The Witch-
king floats forward to stab Galadriel, but she quickly takes the shape she did in
The Fellowship of the Ring and banishes the Nine, leaving only Sauron. After a
short duel Sauron flees towards Mordor together with the Ringwraiths.
Non-canon NazglEdit
Since the Witch-King and Khamul are the only named Nazgul, the other seven remain
unidentified. Several non-canon adaptations of Tolkien's work have given identities
to the unnamed seven Nazgul.
The Lord of the Rings Trading Card GameEdit
The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, which is based on the film trilogy, gave
the Ringwraiths other than the Witch-king titles consisting of the word lair,
which is another term for Ringwraith, and a number. Thus, the other eight wraiths
are identified as lair Atta (two), Nelya (three), Canta (four), Lemenya (five),
Enqua (six), Otsa (seven), Tolda (eight), and Nerta (nine).
Games Workshop modelsEdit
The Games Workshop model company give each Ringwraith a particular title as well as
backstory and personality. As well as The Witch King (the best match for this
particular Nazgl is Isilmo) and Khaml, the other seven are named as: The Dark
Marshal, The Betrayer, The Shadow Lord, The Undying, The Dwimmerlaik, The Tainted
and The Knight of Umbar.
The Dark Marshal - The most black-hearted and unrelentingly cruel of all the
Nazgl, his name is a byword for misery and death. Where the Dark Marshal passes,
evil creatures fight harder, fearful of their lives whilst good warriors feel the
icy touch of death upon their hearts. By his armour it is guessed that he is one of
the three Nmenrean Ringwraiths (the best match for this particular Nazgl is
Herumor or Fuinur)

The Betrayer - Cursed long ago for yielding the Southlands to Sauron's rule, the
Betrayer is driven by malice and self-hatred that knows no bounds. Of all the
Nazgl, the Betrayer is amongst the lowest of Sauron's lieutenants, for even the
Dark Lord is wary of placing trust in one who betrayed his kin so readily. The
Betrayer was once one of the Haradrim, as seen by the ancient turban that he still
wears.

The Shadow Lord - The Shadow Lord was once the king of a small and insignificant
kingdom. When Sauron offered him one of the Nine Rings, the promise of its power
proved irresistible. Now, his physical being all but gone, and his will enslaved to
Sauron, the Shadow Lord wears his dark pride like a cloak, blotting the sun from
the sky and dimming the sight of his foes.

The Undying - Originally a great sorcerer, The Undying endured longest when others
fell under Sauron's sway. He is said to be the oldest of the Ringwraiths, and the
last to succumb to the wasting influences of the Rings of Power. Through an
obsessive mastery of evil magics, the Undying has learnt to draw sustenance from
the magics of others, fortifying himself with the magical energy that flows around
him.

The Dwimmerlaik - The Dwimmerlaik is
Nazgl, for scant record of his past
Rohan, this particular Ringwraith is
blight upon that realm for centuries
against the Sons of Eorl. Because of
by greed.
possibly the most mysterious of all the
deeds exist in the tomes of the Wise. Yet in
feared beyond all others, for he has been a
untold, directing the Dark Lord's minions
him a person is quite possible to be blinded

The Tainted - Where the other Nazgl were slowly swallowed by the taint of their
rings, the Tainted gave himself wholly and willingly to Sauron. Now all natural
things rebel in his presence, vegetation withers, animals sicken and bold warriors
cower. He is an abomination whose merest presence is poison to life, honor and
hope.
The Knight of Umbar - The third of the Nmenrean Lords to become one of Sauron's
servants, the Knight of Umbar's past is shrouded in mystery. If the rumours
pertaining to him hold any truth, he was once one of the great Nmenrean kings who
ruled the Southlands prior to the days of the Last Alliance. (the best match for
this particular Nazgl is also Herumor or Fuinur who came from Numenor island to
the south during the second age, eventhough either one or both of them became the
Lords of Haradrim. It is also known that, both Haradrim and Umbar were in league to
destroy Gondor)

Witch-King GW
The Witch-King
Image (180)
Khamul the Easterling
Dark Marshal
The Dark Marshal
Betrayer
The Betrayer
Shadow Lord
The Shadow Lord
Undying
The Undying
Dwimmerlaik
The Dwimmerlaik
Tainted
The Tainted
Knight of Umbar
The Knight of Umbar
Middle-Earth RoleplayingEdit
The Ringwraiths each received unique names and backstories in MERP, though Khamul
remained as the Black Easterling. The Witch-king was identified as the Black
Nmenrean prince Er-Mrazr, while the other seven unnamed Ringwraiths were named
Dwar of Waw, Ji Indr Dawndeath, Akhrahil, Hoarmrath, Adnaphel, Ren the Unclean,
and vatha. Akhrahil and Adnaphel were also Black Nmenreans, with the latter
surprisingly being a woman. [17]
These names were also used for their appearances in the Middle-Earth Collectible
Card Game.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of WarEdit

In the video game Middle-earth: Shadow of War, three of the Nazgul Talion faces as
bosses are given identities and a sense of individuality in order to provide more
variation to the fights and more depth to the story. It is shown that the role of
being a Nazgl can be passed on to other Ring Bearers following the 'true death' of
their predecessor.
Suladn - A Nmenrean king who besieged Sauron's fortress, Sauron surrendered and
offered Suladn one of the nine rings of power, Suladn accepted and due to the
ring's influence slowly became corrupted by it, making Sauron his most trusted
advisor before becoming fully corrupted and turning into one of the Nazgl. It is
likely that Suladn was based on Ar-Pharazn, the last king of Nmenor who took
Sauron captive in canon, with "Suladn" being King Ar-Pharazn's birth name as
opposed to his ruling name.

Helm Hammerhand - After Helm refused to allow a warlord named Siric to marry his
daughter Bernwyn Siric ambushed the pair, kidnapping Bernwyn and mortally wounding
Helm. On his deathbed Sauron and Celebrimbor appeared and gave him one of the nine
rings. With the help of the ring Helm recovered and besieged Siric's fortress. He
accidentally kills Bernwyn when she steps between him and Siric. In a blind fury
Helm proceeds to slaughter everyone else in the room including his own men.
When Helm faces Talion as a Nazgul he wields a large hammer and summons Mordor's
creatures to aid him in combat.

This version of Helm was born in the Second Age, unlike the canon version who was
born in the Third Age and although rumored to be a wraith is in no way implied to
be a Nazgl.

Isildur - After Isildur was killed in the Disaster of the Gladden Fields his
killers took him back to where Sauron's heavily weakened spirit was residing where
Sauron revived and enslaved Isildur by placing one of the nine rings on his finger.
After Talion and Celebrimbor manage to dominate Isildur's mind and break Sauron's
control Talion refuses to let him exist as their slave and kills him in order to
free him from his torment.

Isildur is skilled in necromancy, capable of raising the dead to fight for him.

Talion - After Talion kills Isildur and subsequently discovers Celebrimbor wants to
replace Sauron rather than kill him Celebrimbor betrays Talion and possesses the
Elf Eltariel. Talion's throat wound then reopens without having Celebrimbor or a
ring of power to keep him alive. Choosing to survive in order to contain the forces
of Mordor for as long as he can Talion places on Isildur's ring, keeping him from
dying and slowly corrupting him into becoming one of the nine. Talion subsequently
uses the power of the ring to conquer Minas Morgul and drive the Nazgl from it.
After decades of keeping Sauron in a stalemate Talion becomes fully corrupted and
joins the Nazgl.

OtherEdit
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king
dubbed one of the Ringwraiths as Morgomir. The One Ring also gave titles to the
three wraiths sent to Dol Guldur by Sauron: the Lieutenant of Dol Guldur, the Ghost
of the Forest, and the Messenger of Mordor. [18][19]
TriviaEdit
The Nazgl are the subject of the song "The Wraith Of The Rings" from the album
"Middle Earth" by Bob Catley.
They are also the subject for the song "Shadows" by the Swedish Power metal band
Sabaton.
They are mentioned in the song "Battle of Evermore" by Led Zeppelin "The drums will
shake the castle wall, the ring wraiths ride in black, Ride on."
They are the focus of the song "Flight of the Nazgul" by the Austrian Black Metal
band Summoning. They are also the subject of the song "Die Schwarzen Reiter" by the
German New Age group E Nomine.
It is important to note that the Witch-king's appearance in The Hobbit: An
Unexpected Journey is the first time that one of the Nazgl can be seen in their
true form without wearing the One Ring.
The Dementors in the Harry Potter series are often compared with the Nazgl of
Middle-earth.
GalleryEdit
The Nazgul alone-greyscale-HV
A Nazgl alone (greyscale)
Ringwraith(s)
The Nazgl on their horses
Jackson Ringwraith
The Hobbits and a Nazgl
LOTR78 beds Bree
The Nazgl as they appear in Ralph Bakshi's 1978 version of Lord of the Rings
Ringwraith 1978
The Hobbits and a Nazgl (1978 version)
Tolkein
The Nazgul's armor as seen in Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings
120x160px
Copy.jpg
[[File:Nazgl on horseback |120x160px]]
Translations around the WorldEdit
Foreign Language Translated name
Amharic ????
Arabic ??????
Armenian ???????
Belarusian Cyrillic ??????
Bosnian Nazgli
Bulgarian Cyrillic ??????
Chinese (Hong Kong) ??
Croatian Nazgli
Czech Nazglov
Dari ??????
Estonian Nazgulid
Finnish Sormusaaveet = Ringwraiths
Mustat ratsastajat = Black Riders
Georgian ???????
German Nazgl,
Ringgeister (Ringwraiths), Schwarze Reiter (Black Riders)
Greek ????????
Gujarati ??????
Hebrew ??????
Hindi ???????
Hungarian Nazglok
Italian Nazgl,
Spettri dell'Anello,
Japanese ?????
Kannada ???????
Korean ???
Kyrgyz Cyrillic ??????
Lithuanian Nazgulai
Macedonian Cyrillic ??????
Marathi ???????
Mongolian Cyrillic ??????
Nepalese ???????
Pashto ??????
Persian ??????
Polish Nazgle
Punjabi ??????
Russian ??????
Serbian ?????? (Cyrillic) Nazguli (Latin)
Sinhalese ??????? ?
Swedish Ringvlnader (Ringwraiths)
De svarta ryttarna (The black riders)
Tajik Cyrillic ??????
Tamil ????????
Telugu ????????
Thai ??????
Tibetan ?????
Tigrinya ????
Ukrainian Cyrillic ???????
Urdu ??????
Uyghur ??????
Uzbek ?????? (Cyrillic) Nazgl (Latin)
Vietnamese Ma Nh?n, Nazgl
Yiddish ???????
ReferencesEdit
? The Fellowship of the Ring
? 2.0 2.1 The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Appendix B: "The Tale of
Years"
? The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter XI: "A Knife
in the Dark"
? The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter XII: "Flight
to the Ford"
? Unfinished Tales part 3 - The Third Age, The Hunt for the Ring part 2.
? Parma Eldalamberon 17, Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord
of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
? The Silmarillion, Index of Names
? The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter I: "Minas
Tirith"
? The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, Chapter III: "The Black Gate is
Closed"
? The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Three, Chapter XI: "The Palantr"
? The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, Chapter VI: "The Forbidden
Pool"
? The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, Chapter VIII: "The Stairs of
Cirith Ungol"
? The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter III: "Three
is Company"
? The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter II: "The Land of
Shadow"
? The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, Chapter II: "The Passage of the
Marshes"
? The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter IV: "The Siege
of Gondor"
? The Encyclopedia of Arda. "What were the names of the nine Nazgl?" Retrieved May
16, 2012.
? The Heart of the Wild. Sophisticated Games Ltd and Cubicle 7 Ltd, 87, 103, 106.
ISBN 9780857441430. Retrieved on 2014-02-18.
? The Darkening of Mirkwood. Sophisticated Games Ltd and Cubicle 7 Ltd, 24, 1289.
ISBN 9780857441348. Retrieved on 2014-02-18.
Categories:
Articles with unsourced statements Quenya words Villains Nazgl Ring bearers
Servants of Sauron Minions of Angmar Wraiths Army Of Mordor Demons Add category
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